Valve-spring lifter



July 28, 1931. I H. w.l KuLP gjr AL 1,815,980 u VALVE 511mm@ LIFTER I Filed Dec. 12, 1928 l mm [.M

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Patented July 28, 1931 PATENT OFFICE f `l,rruinnY w. :KULPQAND livrninrIN c r-DELLINGER, or LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA VALVE-SPRING Lrr'rnn QThis invention relatesto valve-spring lifters and compressorsfsucli as shown fand described'inr our; Patent No.fl^,359,814 granted November 23, 1920,' 011 which the presentinli vention is an improvement. y y if In; a popular make of automobilaknown y commercially asfthe Ford Model A, that has gone l into practically f universal use in this f country recently. itis necessary toremove thel tended for use inconnection with thismake 'of automobile, as'y Well as others yin which similar operationsare necessary. Y f g The primaryObjeCts of the present 'invention are, to provide-a parallel jaw movement valve-spring lifter or compressor movable in contact witha supporting surface Vor surfaces,rk either planejorof other conformation, toward and fromthe axis of the valve stem and tiltable withrelation'thereto while applied to and lifting `or compressingthevalve spring to variouspositions 'f or degrees of compression as well as while positioning said spring incident to the replacement or inseri tion thereof; and to provide in such a valvespring lifter or compressor a jaw of such construction that while spanning the valve-stem it will interlock with -the coilsk of the spring, so servingthedual functions of aj lifting or compressing jaw and of a gripping, carrying or positioning jaw `both 1in the removal and replacement of the valve-s'pring;V

lny the`e accompanying drawings I Y Figure 1' represents a side elevation of a valve-spring lifter *y embodying oury invention als` operatively applied" to ra valve-spring and bearing against the opposed adjacent por- 550 tion of the crank case, shown fragmentarily k y.Application led December 12,1928. Serial No. 325,462,

and'conventionally, the parts being moved to lift or compress the spring preparatory to removal to 'the lower spring cup or retainer O;

Figure y2, sectional view on the line 2--2 55 of Figure l; i

Figure 3, a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts in the last stages of the removal operation, yor the first stages of the replacement or insertion'operation, the tongue 3 of no t the tool being in contact with the crankcase adjacent the side thereof; and

`'Figure 4, a top plan view of the tool showing particularly the conformation of the grippingn or carrying and lifting or com- 65 pressing'jaw 4. i

Referringvnow in detail to the drawings,

the tool comprises a stationary preferably sheet metal beam 1 approximately U-shape in kcross-section, a movable beam 2 also pref- 70 erably of sheet metal and approximately U- shapein cross-section, said beams being connected for parallel movement by crossed links A and E respectively pivotally connected by pivot pins D and F tothe forward portions '115 [of the beams 2 and l and respectively slidably pivotally connected to said beams l and 12 by pivot'pinsfC and Gr respectively extending through the rear portions of their respective links A and E and slidable in slots C and Gry in the sides of therespective beams l and 2, said links A and E being pivotally connected together in their crossinginedial portions'by a transverse pivot pin H,fand the rear end of link A being continued up- 85 wardly and rearwardly as a horn to have rigidly secured thereto a handgrip or handle B to cooperate with the rear portion of the beam l in the single-hand operation of the tool, the construction thus far described be- 9,0 ing the same as set forth in the abovey identied'patent to which reference is made for a more detail construction.

' K designates the usual guide for the tappet L for engaging and raising the valve-stem 95 M on which is arranged the valve-spring N cooperating-,with the spring cup or retainer O interlocking with the enlarged lower end of the said valve-stem M so as to connect said spring and stem whereby the latter will force 100] `withdrawn from position.

to form a supporting wide-footed dull 'edged Y supporting tongue adapted to serve as a skid or skate to move in sliding contact with the upper face of the topv of; .the crank-case J- adjacent the tappet-guides K and while un der the'loadof thev spring while the latter is subject to yvarying degrees of .compression and while thecompression is being either'in-V creased or decreased by the movement of the handle B toward or fromthe beam 1,'said tongue 3 making al Wide supporting contact with the top ofthe crank-case J in a direction transverse of the tool as a whole, thus preventing any tendency-of the tool to'twist as a whole vabout its vaxisl when under the load'of the lspring N and so guarding against its twisting or being kicked out of position, and at the same time making a relatively narrow edge contact withl said' crank-case ,l in the longitudinal direction of the tool as a whole, whereby said vtool may be tilted through a `wide range of positions'on said edge as a Yfulcrum point toward or from Vthe guide K,

stemM and spring N both during and after the 'operation' of the linl-:sA and E, such tilting greatly facilitating' the removal and insertion of the spring N, it-being remembered that such operations must be vperformed in a relatively small opening in rather cramped quarters. Y Y Y v The forward end of the beam 2 is flattened lit between, and in engagement with the opposed faces of, adjacent helices of the spring which. thus interlocks with said 4 and holds itself therein so that an endwise movement of the beam 2 with its aw 4 thus interlocked with the spring N will result in a lateral movement of the lower portion of the spring N, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and in the spring N being retained in said jaw 4 when Such endwise movement of the jaw 4 involves the movement ofthe 'tool as a whole, of course, and

may be due either to sliding the tongue 3 over andin contact with the crank-cased, or tilting-.,tlie-tool as a whole on the edge of tongue 3 lengthwise of the tool, or by both said sliding and tilting movement simultaneously. Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i f

1. Avalve-spring lifting tool comprising a pair of relatively movable members, means for moving said members with relation to each other, and means for maintaining said members substantially parallel to each other in` all relative positions throughout their range of relative movement, in combination with a tongue rigid with and depending from one of said members and adapted to engage a supporting surface and move in contact therewith and tilt about its point ofengagement with said surfacein one plane while the tool is operatively engagedwith and under the load of the spring, whereby-the-members may be moved relatively to each other and the tool as a whole may be tiltedinto a number of different positions with one hand and whileoperatively engaged with, and under the Vload of, the valve-spring.

2. A valve-spring lifting tool a pair of relatively movable members, means `for moving said members with' relation to each other, .and rmeans for maintaining said members substantially parallel to each other in all relative positions throughout their range of relative movement, in combination with a tongue rigid with and depending from one -of said members and adapted to engage a supporting surface and move in Contact therewith and. tilt about its point of engagement with said surface in one plane while the tool is operatively engaged with and under the load of the spring, whereby the members may be moved relative to each other and the tool as a whole may-be moved`about and tilted-into a number of dierent positions with one hand and whileoperatively engaged with,l and under the load of, the vvalve-spring, and a bifurcated jaw rigid with the other member and having a grooved portion to receive a helix of the spring and to interlock'with and be grippedby and between the opposed adjacent portions of the helices Yof said spring betweenwhich it is thrust.

3. A valve-spring lifting tool comprising a pair of members at least one of which is movable relative to the other, a tongue rigid with and depending from the other member at an abrupt angle and adapted in operative position to engage and be supported byl a supporting surface and adapted when under the load of the valve-spring to slide in contact with said supporting surface-and tilt in contact therewith in a plane parallel to the longest dimension of said tool and formed lwith a long surface extending in a direction transverseto said plane andf'contacting with said supporting surface in operative position, whereby twisting of the'tool as a Whole comprising about its axis when under the load of the valve-spring will be prevented, and a pair of hand-grips arranged to be together gripped Y in one hand of they operator and at least one of which is movable, relative to the other to move said movable member, whereby said vmember may bemoved, andV said tooly as a whole may be moved about and tilted, by the "operator with one hand to all positions necextending from the upper member forward beyond said tongue andgrooved adjacent its bifurcation to interlock with the helices of said valve-spring between which helices it is Y adapted to be thrust. n

5. A parallel-j aw movement type of valvespring lifting tool` comprising a pair of relatively movable members, and a jaw carried by one of said members, in combination with a tongue depending from the forward end of the other member to' the rear of said jaw and adapted to contact, in operative position, by its bottom end, with, and slide on, a supporting surface when the jaw is engaged with a valve-spring during the lifting, removal and replacement of said spring.

6. A valve-springV lifting tool comprising a bifurcated thin` sheet metal jaw having a curvilinearly bent portion conforming to the form of a spring'helix and having substantially parallel upper and lower faces and adapted to be engaged on said upper and lower faces by the opposed face portions of two'adjacent helices of a helical spring.

7. kA valve-springdlifting tool comprising a bifurcated thin metal jaw having substantially parallel curvilinear portions disposed one above and the other below the respective normally horizontal faces of said jaw respectively and in vertical registry with each other at all points, the distance between the upper andlower faces ofsaid'curvilinear portions at allpoints being approximately the same as the thickness of the adjacent portions of said jaw, and said curvilinear upper and lower face portions being adapted to be inserted between, engaged by, and gripped between, the opposed face'portions of two adjacent helices of a helical spring.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names tofthis specification at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this 10th day ofDecember, 1928.

HARRY w. KULP. MAR'rrN o. DELLINGER. 

